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Welcome message from the new Rector


As I prepare to take up the post of Rector at St John's Church on 11 September, I would like to take this opportunity to say hello by introducing myself and my family.

I have not always been a minister in the Church of England. After leaving Liverpool University in 1987, I worked in IT for 20 years, primarily for the oil company Texaco (now known as Chevron) based firstly in Knightsbridge and then Canary Wharf in London.

However, a number of years ago, I felt God was calling me into full-time ministry in the Church and so I was ordained at Rochester Cathedral back in September 2009, having trained for two years at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. Since then my family has been based in the lovely town of Tonbridge in Kent, where I served as Assistant Curate in a group of 4 churches.

I am married to Lisa and we have 2 children - Dylan (aged 13) and Nicholas (aged 9). We have already received a warm welcome in Elmswell and we are excited as we look forward to serving God here. Our desire is to help people to see how God is still very much alive and relevant in the 21st Century. The hymn "Great is thy faithfulness" contains the words, "Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not; as Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be." Society and culture may change, but God is unchanging and his love endures forever. God created each one of us and it is when we are a relationship with the Lord Jesus that we can truly flourish.

I enjoy cycling, listening to strange progressive rock music and being with my family. On our days off, Lisa and I like to visit places of interest before coming back to enjoy a nice meal with a glass of wine followed by watching old episodes of Red Dwarf and the IT crowd.

Peter Goodridge
Mon 09 Sep 2013


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